Sharing pictures digitally

One reason digital pictures are so popular is because they are so simple to share. One minute the picture is in your camera, the next it's gone around the world to a friend. People hundreds and thousands of miles away can see your pictures minutes after you take them.

And Kodak EasyShare software makes this instant sharing incredibly simple. Here are the best ways to share your pictures digitally.

Sharing pictures by e-mailNo longer do you have to type a long e-mail message to describe an event. Now, you just attach a digital picture—and then write a long e-mail message about how easy it was to take and send the picture.

Advantages of e-mailing pictures:

It's simple, especially with Kodak EasyShare software

It's fast

It's inexpensive

Disadvantages of e-mail pictures:

You can send only a few pictures at a time

You shouldn't send pictures with large file sizes

One small catch is the file size of the picture. Normally you don't want to send a large picture file, because it could take a long time for your recipient to download it. Our procedure for e-mailing pictures gives you all the particulars.

Sharing pictures with an online albumAn online album is the digital equivalent of a photo album. Well, almost. Its big advantage is that your pictures are on the Internet (that's online) and that anybody anywhere that you give permission to can see them—for free. Most commercial album sites, such as KODAK EASYSHARE Gallery, also let people order prints of your pictures.

Advantages of an online album:

Anybody you select can see the pictures

Good for showing lots of pictures at a time

Free viewing

People can order their own prints

You can adjust and edit pictures

Easy to transfer pictures to an online album

Disadvantages of an online album:

Uploading lots of pictures to an album is slow without a high-speed connection

Some sites limit the length of storage based on how much business you do with them

But not just anybody can see them. The commercial album sites are password protected, so only the people you select can see your pictures.

But don't use only an online site to store your pictures. An online site is ultimately a commercial business under somebody else's control. For long-term storage, your photos should be under your control. An online album is a great way to share pictures, but it's not a great way to back them up for permanent storage.

Share pictures on a CDMost people share digital pictures electronically using e-mail or an online album. That's fast and easy, but it somehow lacks the personal touch. You can add that personal touch by giving a CD with photos on it as a gift.

You can even create a special CD cover with the person's name or their photo. There are two ways to create CDs:

Have an online photo service create a CD from your online album

Do it at home with a CD writer

Advantages of a CD album:

Puts a personal "gift" touch to your pictures

Holds hundreds of pictures

Holds large picture files suitable for printing

Provides durable, long-lasting storage

Disadvantages of a CD album:

Requires special equipment or an extra cost if using an online photo service